Vaintè was sitting in her place of power when Enge entered, the seat formed by the living bark of the city tree. There were memory creatures on the table beside her and one of them had the tendril above its withered eyes pressed into a fold of the ugunkshaa, the memory-speaker. The ugunkshaa spoke quietly while at the same time its organic molecule lens flickered with motion, a black and white picture of the Yilanè who had originally spoken to the memory-creature. Vaintè silenced the ugunkshaa when Enge entered and picked up the stone spearpoint that was lying next to it.
“Approach,” she ordered, and Enge did so. Vaintè clasped the stone blade in her hand and raised it; Enge did not quail or pull away. Vaintè seized her by the arm.
“You have no fear,” Vaintè said. “Even though you can see how sharp this scrap of stone is, as good as any of our string-knives.”
She sawed through the bindings and Enge’s hands were free. Enge rubbed gently at her skin where it had been irritated by the bonds. “—You are freeing us all?” she asked.
“Do not be too greedy. Just you—since I have need of your knowledge.”
“I will not aid you in murder.”
“There is no need to. The killing is over.” For the time being, she thought to herself, knowing better than to mention it aloud. If she did speak, whatever she said would reveal her thoughts completely. Not only was she unable to tell a lie but the very concept of a lie was completely alien to her. It was impossible to tell a lie when every movement of one’s body revealed a meaning. The only way for a Yilanè to keep her thoughts secret was not to speak of them. Vaintè was most adept at this form of concealment. She practiced it now since she needed Enge’s help. “We have come to the time for learning. Did you not study the use of language at one time?”
“You know that I did, with Yilespei. I was her first student.”
“You were. Her first and best. Before the rot ate into your brain. You did all sorts of foolish things as I remember, watching the way that children communicate with each other, sometimes doing it yourself to draw their attention. I understand that you even eavesdropped on the males. That puzzles me. Why those stupid creatures of all things? What could one possibly learn from them?”
“They have a way of talking among themselves when we are not about, a way of saying things in a different manner…”
“I’m not talking about that. I mean why study such things? Of what importance can it be how others speak?”
“Of greatest importance. We are language, language is us. When we lack it we are mutes and no better than animals. It was thoughts and studies like these that led me to the great Ugunenapsa and her teachings.”
“You would have been far better off to have continued with your language studies and kept yourself out of trouble. Those of us who will become Yilanè must learn to speak as we grow up—that is a fact or you and I would not be here. But can a young one be taught to speak? It seems like a stupid and repellent idea. Can it be done?”
“It can,” Enge said. “I have done it myself. It is not easy, most young ones don’t want to listen, but it can be done. I used the training techniques the boatmasters use.”
“But boats are almost as stupid as cloaks. All they ever learn to understand are just a few commands.”
“The technique is the same.”
“Good.” Vaintè looked shrewdly out of the corner of her eyes and chose her words carefully. “Then you could teach an animal to understand and to speak?”
“No, not to speak. To understand, yes, a few simple commands if the brain is big enough. But speaking requires vocal apparatus and areas of the brain that animals do not possess.”
“But I have heard animals talking.”
“Not talking, repeating sound patterns they have learned. Birds can do this.”
“No. I mean talking. Communicating with each other.”